I get called sparky over here too, but the other nicknames must be a European thing.

Plus plastering is a dead art here basically speaking.

I don't work around the other trades too much, I'm mainly a residential guy who doesn't get into new construction, too much el cheapo labor. Plus I was supposed to be a drummer, not an electrician, so it's not like I was born with a contractors frame of mind.

I get called sparky over here too, but the other nicknames must be a European thing.

Plus plastering is a dead art here basically speaking.

I don't work around the other trades too much, I'm mainly a residential guy who doesn't get into new construction, too much el cheapo labor. Plus I was supposed to be a drummer, not an electrician, so it's not like I was born with a contractors frame of mind.

What is the voltage of your normal outlets that you would plug a computer into?
Here it's 120.

No we use 240 volts, for single phase, i.e. residential, i.e. what we would plug our computors into, and 400 volts for 3 phase, i.e ofices etc...,
Our plug tops have a 13amp fuse built in, thats why when i was young and cocky, i use to get electric shocks, but at 230 and 400 volts, it use to hurt, alot,
i learnt the hard way.

I can never understand why your plugs are only 2 pin thou with no earth, is it becoause you run with 120 volts maybe.

When i was a young apprentice, i worked breifly with a yank sparks, man this guy had a tool belt, with everything on it, man i had a tool box to put tools in, but this guy just carried it around his waist, 1st time i saw that. But you could always here him coming thou..

a family physician;
an RN who does home health care;
a water treatment plant operator;
head of the department that keeps all the computers running for a major university;
and an assistant superintendent at a recreational park.

Some folks I play with have some supplementary sources of income, because there are other things they also enjoy doing when they have the time for them, but I'm not at a point where I'd get into any kind of band situation with folks who have other primary income sources, unless they'd be ready to drop those jobs at a moment's notice. People with other kinds of jobs have limitations on when and where they can gig. They have other priorities. They're not oriented towards doing music as a career.

Since I'm in a new band, I don't know what the chick bass player does yet but the one guy drives a concrete truck and the other guy is get this..... a grave digger. He works at a cemetary doing that. Not by hand but still.

We all have put ourselves in position with our jobs that if we were to start making steady enough money to play music for our living that's what we plan to do. I play a lot of other types of gigs like I play for a church, play pit in musicals, and symphony stuff that also pay ok. It's just hard to keep a steady schedule of paying gigs all year long around here.

I think the idea was that 50 Hz was as low as you could go and not notice the lights blinking (and still keep it a nice round number). I'm not sure how 60 Hz was decided on, other than it fits well with the whole 360 degrees in a circle thing that all rotational devices do (motors/generators).

Post-war Japan was rebuilt by a combined effort by Europeans and Americans, so guess what? Northeastern Japan runs a 50 Hz and the southwest runs at 60 Hz. That's gotta make you go crazy if you travel, but I'm sure they've got that all figured out by now.

I'm in between bands at the moment, but am auditioning tonight with a prog-ish type band where the guitar player teaches guitar all day. The bass player is also a badass drummer who recorded (played) all the drum parts on the demo I just learned with all its freakishly weird time signature changes. I don't know what he or the singer do for income yet - and may never find out if I don't get the gig!

I play a lot of other types of gigs like I play for a church, play pit in musicals, and symphony stuff that also pay ok. It's just hard to keep a steady schedule of paying gigs all year long around here.

What musicals have you done and what orchestra do you play with? I, too, do pit work and orchestra work, but I don't get paid for the orchestra work.

WOW! My Bass Player is a Juris Doctor, My Sax Player is a DPM and a Science Teacher, my Key Player is a......a.......a........Rock and Roll Singer (haha),................and my Guitar Player is a GUITAR PLAYER............and I am a businessman (tha drummah). Nuff z'nuff.

Singer - I'm not sure, something to do with punching holes...he keeps going on about punching holes
Lead Guitar - he does something at Heathrow aiport, maybe to do with planes..?
Keys Player - Works in the hotel industry
Bass Player - Chartered Surveyor
Me - Cisco network engineer.

Ha great topic!
I've always sorta felt like the dumb ass of the trio. The the other 2 guys are Phd's in electrical/computer engineering (and they have jobs) I draw houses for people w/ more money then taste.

My band is all college students
Guitar/Vox: Social services major
Guitar/Key: Psych Major (parents are both MDs, they don't approve, haha)
Bass: Double Major History/Music
Me (Drums, who knew!?): Undecided, but will no doubt be some form of performing art.

Preppienerd, as boring as it might look it, that stuff is actually fun to draw because it takes a lot of detailed drawing to make the modern stuff work.
I'm talking about the WTB french colonial McMansions.

The 50 hz / 60 hz becomes annoying in my field, post-production for film/television. Where N. American audiences watch standard def. TV at 30 frames / second and folks on the other side of the pond watch at 25 fps. If it's filmed on actual film, it's captured at 23.98 frames a second... convert that all into something that can be seen on both sides of the ocean and your head starts to spin. More so when the show needs to be an exact duration...